History ComicBook / OmegaTheUnknown

''Omega the Unknown'' was a short-lived yet influential comic published by Creator/MarvelComics, written by Creator/SteveGerber and Mary Skrenes. The series ran for 10 issues. Tired of annoyingly plucky [[KidSidekick boy sidekicks]], Gerber pitched it as a realistic portrayal of a young boy's life, but Creator/StanLee insisted on more supernatural elements and [[ExecutiveMeddling crossovers with in-universe heroes]]. However, Gerber ably worked around these restrictions, writing a fairly down-to-earth, emotionally-driven story about a young boy's difficult life. Sure he was [[OrphansOrdeal orphaned]] and had a PsychicLink with a LastOfHisKind [[HumanAlien Alien]] superhero, but for all that, it can be surprisingly touching.

* HumanAlien: Omega.

''Omega the Unknown'' was a short-lived yet influential comic published by Creator/MarvelComics and written by Creator/SteveGerber, which ran for 10 issues. Tired of annoyingly plucky [[KidSidekick boy sidekicks]], Gerber pitched it as a realistic portrayal of a young boy's life, but Creator/StanLee insisted on more supernatural elements and [[ExecutiveMeddling crossovers with in-universe heroes]]. However, Gerber ably worked around these restrictions, writing a fairly down-to-earth, emotionally-driven story about a young boy's difficult life. Sure he was [[OrphansOrdeal orphaned]] and had a PsychicLink with a LastOfHisKind [[HumanAlien Alien]] superhero, but for all that, it can be surprisingly touching.

''Omega the Unknown'' was a short-lived yet influential comic created by Creator/SteveGerber which ran for 10 issues (March, 1976-October, 1977). Tired of annoyingly plucky [[KidSidekick boy sidekicks]], Gerber pitched it as a realistic portrayal of a young boy's life, but Creator/StanLee insisted on more supernatural elements and [[ExecutiveMeddling crossovers with in-universe heroes]]. However, Gerber ably worked around these restrictions, writing a fairly down-to-earth, emotionally-driven story about a young boy's difficult life. Sure he was [[OrphansOrdeal orphaned]] and had a PsychicLink with a LastOfHisKind [[HumanAlien Alien]] superhero, but for all that, it can be surprisingly touching.

One author influenced by Gerber was Creator/JonathanLethem, a [=MacArthur=] Grant-winning novelist who rebooted the series in 2007. When Gerber heard about Lethem's reboot, he reacted with anger and disbelief that someone who called themselves a fan of his would conspire with the company that he fought with so long to take away his creation and remake it, without so much as a by-your-leave. Gerber and Lethem later spoke, and Gerber softened his critique, typifying Lethem as naive and starry-eyed.

The new series also lasted for 10 issues (December, 2007-September, 2008). Lethem spent much of his run retelling Gerber's story, and then moved on to his own variations, thick with satire and hallucinogenic reality shifts. It's questionable how pertinent Lethem could be, when Gerber was writing a decade before the graphic novel revolution, and Lethem is writing the same story thirty years after the fact.

''Omega the Unknown'' was a short-lived yet influential comic created by Creator/SteveGerber which ran for 10 issues (March, 1976-October, 1977). Tired of annoyingly plucky [[KidSidekick boy sidekicks]], Gerber pitched it as a realistic portrayal of a young boy's life, but Creator/StanLee insisted on more supernatural elements and [[ExecutiveMeddling crossovers with in-universe heroes]]. However, Gerber ably worked around these restrictions, writing a fairly down-to-earth, emotionally-driven story about a young boy's difficult life. Sure he was raised (then [[OrphansOrdeal orphaned]]) by [[spoiler: [[RoboticReveal robots]]]] and had a PsychicLink with a LastOfHisKind [[HumanAlien Alien]] superhero, but for all that, it can be surprisingly touching.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/omega-the-unknown_6133.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Ignore the guy with the cape and watch the kid instead.]]

[[spoiler:In ''Darkhold: Omega'' #1 (January 2022), James-Michael Starling [[BackFromTheDead returned to life]] and became the new Omega the Unknown]].

[[spoiler:Omega the Unknown would later [[BackFromTheDead return to life]] as part of the ''Darkhold'' event in 2022]].

* AuthorAvatar: RichardRory, who first appeared in Gerber's ''Comicbook/ManThing''.

* GlassCannon: Unlike his original incarantion, the 2007 Omega's only superpower lies in his ability to fire energy beams. Otherwise, he's just as vulnerable to regular injury and exhaustion as anyone else.

''Omega the Unknown'' was a short-lived yet influential comic created by SteveGerber which ran for 10 issues (March, 1976-October, 1977). Tired of annoyingly plucky [[KidSidekick boy sidekicks]], Gerber pitched it as a realistic portrayal of a young boy's life, but Creator/StanLee insisted on more supernatural elements and [[ExecutiveMeddling crossovers with in-universe heroes]]. However, Gerber ably worked around these restrictions, writing a fairly down-to-earth, emotionally-driven story about a young boy's difficult life. Sure he was raised (then [[OrphansOrdeal orphaned]]) by [[spoiler: [[RoboticReveal robots]]]] and had a PsychicLink with a LastOfHisKind [[HumanAlien Alien]] superhero, but for all that, it can be surprisingly touching.

''Omega The Unknown'' was a short-lived yet influential comic created by SteveGerber which ran for 10 issues (March, 1976-October, 1977). Tired of annoyingly plucky [[KidSidekick boy sidekicks]], Gerber pitched it as a realistic portrayal of a young boy's life, but Creator/StanLee insisted on more supernatural elements and [[ExecutiveMeddling crossovers with in-universe heroes]]. However, Gerber ably worked around these restrictions, writing a fairly down-to-earth, emotionally-driven story about a young boy's difficult life. Sure he was raised (then [[OrphansOrdeal orphaned]]) by [[spoiler: [[RoboticReveal robots]]]] and had a PsychicLink with a LastOfHisKind [[HumanAlien Alien]] superhero, but for all that, it can be surprisingly touching.

'''''Omega The Unknown''''' was a short-lived yet influential comic created by SteveGerber which ran for 10 issues (March, 1976-October, 1977). Tired of annoyingly plucky [[KidSidekick boy sidekicks]], Gerber pitched it as a realistic portrayal of a young boy's life, but Creator/StanLee insisted on more supernatural elements and [[ExecutiveMeddling crossovers with in-universe heroes]]. However, Gerber ably worked around these restrictions, writing a fairly down-to-earth, emotionally-driven story about a young boy's difficult life. Sure he was raised (then [[OrphansOrdeal orphaned]]) by [[spoiler: [[RoboticReveal robots]]]] and had a PsychicLink with a LastOfHisKind [[HumanAlien Alien]] superhero, but for all that, it can be surprisingly touching.

* ChildProdigy: James-Michael, thanks to his unique home schooling

* TheQuietOne: Omega, who rarely speaks since he feels there is rarely anything of use to be said.

* ExecutiveMeddling: Creator/StanLee required crossovers with other supers, such as The Hulk, and nixed the idea of a main character who was a normal young boy with no powers. The book was also canceled, taken from the author, and given to another writer who killed off the characters.

'''''Omega The Unknown''''' was a short-lived yet influential comic created by SteveGerber which ran for 10 issues (March, 1976-October, 1977). Tired of annoyingly plucky [[KidSidekick boy sidekicks]], Gerber pitched it as a realistic portrayal of a young boy's life, but StanLee insisted on more supernatural elements and [[ExecutiveMeddling crossovers with in-universe heroes]]. However, Gerber ably worked around these restrictions, writing a fairly down-to-earth, emotionally-driven story about a young boy's difficult life. Sure he was raised (then [[OrphansOrdeal orphaned]]) by [[spoiler: [[RoboticReveal robots]]]] and had a PsychicLink with a LastOfHisKind [[HumanAlien Alien]] superhero, but for all that, it can be surprisingly touching.

* ExecutiveMeddling: StanLee required crossovers with other supers, such as The Hulk, and nixed the idea of a main character who was a normal young boy with no powers. The book was also canceled, taken from the author, and given to another writer who killed off the characters.

The series was canceled mid-way through when Gerber entered a struggle with the publisher over creator's rights. Omega was summarily given to another writer, who killed off most of the characters in the pages of ComicBook/TheDefenders. Gerber was eventually let go. Despite its short run, the comic proved influential and memorable amongst comic authors, who have praised Gerber as the forerunner to revolutionary authors like Creator/AlanMoore and NeilGaiman, who used comics to tackle serious issues, leading to the DarkerAndGrittier comics familiar to us today.